I was commissioned to sew up some little bridesmaid dresses for a wedding in New Orleans this June. It sounded like a fun task to take on.
It was. And it wasn't.

First, they gave me plenty of time. I procrastinated to the very last moment. I was so overwhelmed about the prospect of sewing, not a little Sunday's best kind of dress, but for a gulp, wedding. Every time I thought about the project, I got a nervous stomach.

Well, I got smart. I called "Super Nova". Nova is the mother of my dear friend Barb and she is the seamstress queen. She spent 4 whole long days with me while we cut, recalculated patterns for custom fits and custom details, stitched, sewed, enjoyed lovely lunches in our sunroom with Sophie and chatted about sewing successes and failures.

We had 4 machines going. Lots of thread. 14 yards of fabric. And 4 beautiful sunny days with the most perfect breeze blowing through the house.

I learned a lot from Nova. She had so many great ideas about how to make things look nicer, changing up the pattern so that the seams were nicer, adding details like a hem that has a faux underskirt look. We added a nice sash to the dress. My girls loved them and want one for themselves. We used both the Lydia and Sophia pattern from Pink Fig Patterns. (Her patterns are so simple - simple does not necessarily mean short and easy. We spent around 32 hours making these 4 dresses plus a tie for a little boy. 55+ rows of shirring, 11 tiers of gathering on the skirts...it exhausts me even to type it out)

Best part, the bride was thrilled with them. Phew! Ask me if I'll ever sew for another wedding again? Um, no. Never.